About Me and Felicity’s Attic - Guest Blog Post
Hello, I’m Diane, a Scottish-based designer and Illustrator with over 30 years' experience in the graphic design industry. I have a background in textile and print design and a real passion for branding and colour. I take great enjoyment in creating rich colour palettes throughout my designs.
I have a love of calligraphy, ink pens and inks, buying and swatching new inks is my preoccupation which led me onto designing and creating my own photopolymer ink stamps. The different shapes of ink bottles and pens were my inspiration for starting my own wee craft shop called Felicity’s Attic in 2024, and here we are 12 months later and the business is going from strength to strength.
About Felicity's Attic ink stamps
My ink stamps are made from high-grade photopolymer resin (not silicone, acrylic or rubber) as it doesn’t contain any latex, phthalates, melamine, carcinogens, toxic or harmful compounds. The use of photopolymer offers high clarity, shiny, crystal clear stamps which have excellent adhesion, allowing for multiple repositioning on an acrylic block.
They are tough and durable - when stretched, these stamps will relax back to their original shape. They are long-lasting, the manufacturer has two decades of experience, and the stamps have been tested to millions of impressions.
Our stamps have been made to the optimal thickness, 3.2mm (0.125”), thus giving the deepest etch with the finest detail possible. Low carbon footprint, the manufacturing process reuses 99% of unexposed resin. Designed to work excellently with all water-based inks, they are compatible with a variety of inks.
How do I use ink stamps?
Getting Started With Ink Swatching
What you will need:
- Felicity’s Attic Stamp Set
- Acrylic Stamping Block (see mounting your stamps)
- Ink Pad (see which inks can be used with my stamps)
- Swatch Book, Journal or Planner (see which materials you can stamp onto)
- A Bottle of Fountain Pen Ink
- Paint Brush
- Spare Paper
How should I mount my stamps?
Which materials can you mount your stamps onto?
Acrylic blocks are ideal for mounting stamps, as they are clear, smooth, and flat. However, you can use any dust-free surface, doesn't bend and is flat. Which materials can you use to stamp onto? Our stamps can be used on many materials, including card, paper, fabric, MDF/wood and any other smooth, flat surface where you can apply ink or paint (the walls in your house). They can also be used to create impressions or textures on precious metals and polymer clays. In order to use our photopolymer ink stamps, you’ll first need to remove them from the packaging and the acetate backing sheet, then attach the chosen stamp onto an acrylic stamping block (available to buy here) by placing it gently onto the centre of the block. The stamp will adhere to the block without too much pressure.
Handy Tip: if you find that the stamp has lost its stickiness, then you can simply wash it with warm water and a small amount of washing up liquid, leave the stamp to dry on a clean, cotton lint-free cloth to avoid any fibres attaching to the stamp.
Next, you’ll need to apply some ink onto the stamp by using an ink pad, you can either do this by picking up the acrylic block with the stamp attached and press it gently and evenly onto the ink pad or if you prefer, you can pick up the ink pad and press it lightly and evenly onto the entire surface of the stamp - whichever method works for you is fine.
Ensure you don't over-ink the stamp, as this can cause fine detail to be lost or filled in. Try this a few times and test the stamp on some spare paper until you are happy with the inking process.
Handy Tip: Try and apply the ink evenly across the whole stamp, try and avoid ‘dry spots’ which have little or no ink! When you are ready to proceed and start stamping, take your swatch book, journal or planner and place it on a flat surface.
Apply some ink to your stamp and hold the acrylic block firmly with both hands, with the stamp facing downwards. Take some time to choose the position where you would like to stamp, and when you are ready, press the stamp onto the paper using moderate pressure.
Handy Tip: Don’t apply too much pressure, as you may lose some detail if the stamp moves! Apply too little pressure and there may be gaps in your stamp design.
Now that you have your design on paper, you are ready to grab your fountain pen ink, a paint brush and swatch that new ink colour!
The most important thing to remember is HAVE FUN!
How do I clean my stamps after use?
When you have finished stamping, simply remove any excess ink by stamping onto some spare paper until the ink has been used up, peel the stamp from the acrylic block and wash with warm water and a small amount of washing up liquid, try and use your fingers to gently clean the stamp (do not use any brushes or hard objects as they might damage the stamp). You can also use solvent cleaners, but be very careful, as some can attack plastics. If you want to use a stamp cleaning solvent to remove permanent ink staining, we recommend using it quickly and do not leave your stamp within the solvent for too long (rinse immediately after using soapy water). You can prevent most inks from staining stamps by firstly using either a clear watermark ink or Versafine clear ink on the stamp to protect it.
When you are happy that the stamp is clean, leave it to dry on a cotton, lint-free cloth (a clean tea-towel is perfect for this). Once the stamp is fully dry, replace it onto the acetate sheet and store it out of direct sunlight.
If cared for correctly, your stamp will stay sticky for life. However, if it does lose stickiness, then wash it using a mild soap and warm water. Leaving the stamps in direct sunlight can reduce the stickiness of the stamps. If this happens, you can try using some fine-grain sandpaper to gently sand the back of the stamp.
How should I store my stamps?
Always dry your stamps carefully after use before storing. Always store them on the printed acetate sheet and inside the cellophane bag supplied, if possible. Please keep them out of direct sunlight, avoid excessive temperatures and store in a dry place.
Which inks can be used with my Stamps?
Pigment-based inks
Pigment inks work well for heat embossing with powder and a heat gun, as they stay wet longer than dye inks, and they give crisp, clean images. We recommend Versafine as the number one ink to use with our stamps. It is a quick-drying oil-based pigment ink. It is archival and resists water, so you can use it with watercolours. It cleans with water and will not stain your stamps. If you are going to use your stamps with coloured, clear or white inks, you will need to get them clean, or the ink will transfer. If you are stamping on a slick surface like shrink plastic, first stamp on a piece of scratch paper, and then the stamps won't slip as easily.
Solvent-based inks
Solvent inks are great for permanent, strong inking. We recommend using Staz-on. They impart very minor damage to the photopolymer; however, the solvent cleaners will eventually damage the polymer. Do not use Staz-on if you are going to add colour with Copic markers, as it will damage them. Recommendations for using solvent-based inks with clear stamps: 1. Use solvent-based cleaners sparingly. Solvent-based cleaners are more damaging to the stamp than the ink you are removing. So if you use cleaners, do so sparingly. 2. Create a pigment barrier between the polymer and ink by applying a water-based ink before applying your solvent ink. This will prevent the solvents from coming into direct contact with the polymer. 3. Wash ink off immediately with soapy water.
Dye-based inks
Dye inks are quick-drying inks that are water-based and dry almost instantly, such as Memento ink from Tsukineko and Archival ink from Ranger. They will stain photopolymer stamps. If you are just using black or darker inks, then it doesn't matter, and it will be difficult to tell if the stamps are clean. You can prevent most inks from staining by using either a clear watermark ink or Versafine under ink. The Distress inks from Ranger are also dye inks; they have different properties from regular dye inks and give a mottled, distressed look, not crisp, clean, solid images.
Chalk inks
Chalk inks are pigment-type inks, but they have a flat matte finish like chalk pastels, and they are archival.
Hybrid inks
Hybrid inks from companies like Stewart Superior offer the best of both dye and pigment inks and are well worth trying. However, they will stain polymer stamps.
Watermark inks
Watermark inks such as Versamark work excellently, particularly for embossing. You can get some great results stamping with a watermark ink and letting it dry, and then applying chalks over the image, you can make images any colour or a tone of the background paper.
Fabric inks
There are also speciality fabric inks available that are permanent and will not wash out if you heat set them. They do dry out fairly quickly, and you need to re-ink them regularly. They do a great job, but the colours are limited.
Acrylic Paint
You can use acrylic paint on your photopolymer stamps, just make sure you clean it off right away. It works best on the more bold and chunky types of stamps, as it tends to fill in the very fine detail and give you blobs of paint. There is a fabric medium you can purchase to mix with the paint to create your own fabric paints.
